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Investigation Tracks 153,000 Dead Russian Soldiers in Ukraine, Poorest Regions Hit Hardest
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At least 153,171 Russian soldiers have been confirmed dead since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to new figures published by the independent outlet Mediazona on December 5.
The data covers the period from February 24, 2022, to December 4, 2025, and is based on publicly available sources, including media reports, social media posts, statements from relatives, funeral notices, and documented burial sites. Mediazona emphasizes that the figure reflects only confirmed deaths, meaning the actual number is likely significantly higher.
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To estimate the wider scale of losses, the project also uses excess mortality analysis based on inheritance registry records. This statistical approach indicates that the total number of fatalities is significantly larger than the documented minimum.
The data suggests that the highest proportional losses come from Russia’s remote and economically disadvantaged regions, which also have some of the highest mobilization rates. These include Dagestan, North Ossetia, Chechnya, and Bashkortostan in the North Caucasus, as well as Buryatia, Yakutia, and Tuva in Siberia and the Far East.
Among larger regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais, and the Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Samara and Rostov regions record substantial losses. By contrast, Moscow and St. Petersburg show lower proportional figures, which researchers attribute to differences in mobilization.
The structure of losses has changed over the course of the war. Early in the invasion, airborne and motorized units were heavily affected. Later, losses increased among populations recruited through volunteer programs, followed by a marked rise in prisoners enlisted via the Wagner Group. By March 2023, prisoners were the single largest category of deaths.
When recruitment from prisons declined in late 2024, volunteers once again became the main source of manpower and casualties. More than 6,100 Russian officers, including 12 generals, are among the confirmed dead—an unusually high number for modern war, indicating sustained attrition among command personnel.
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The scale of losses is reflected in court records. By 1 December 2025, families had filed nearly 90,000 applications to declare soldiers dead or missing. This figure points to a large backlog of unresolved cases, limited official reporting, and persistent demand for legal confirmation of fatalities.
Earlier, it was reported that Russian authorities are searching for a serviceman suspected of killing seven fellow soldiers shortly after returning from Ukrainian captivity.
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